83.9 % of energy resources consumed in households are used for space and water heating

According to the Central Statistical Bureau survey on energy consumption in households, 83.9 % of the energy resources consumed in households in 2025 were used for space and water heating. Much smaller shares were used for cooking (7.0 %) and other purposes (9.1 %), for example, to power refrigerators, TV sets, computers, washing machines and other appliances. Average monthly electricity consumption per household reached 178 kilowatt-hours (kWh), up by 3 kWh compared with 2020.

For cooking, households mainly used electricity (45.9 % of households), natural gas (26.1 %) or liquefied petroleum gas (16.7 %), while fuelwood for cooking was used by 11.3 % of households.

More households receive heat from external suppliers

In 2025, 56.8 % of households in Latvia received heat from external suppliers, ranging from 82.2 % in Riga and an average of 69.8 % in State cities to 53.5 % in other towns and only 16.1 % in rural areas. Compared with 2020, the number of households in Latvia receiving heat from external suppliers increased by 3.9 % or 18.9 thousand. In Riga, the number rose by 3.3 % or 8.1 thousand.

The total heated floor space in households stood at 60.6 million m², or an average of 78.0 m² per dwelling. More than half (57.3 %) of the total heated floor space was in flats, while the remaining 42.7 % was in one-dwelling houses. Compared with 2020, the total heated floor space increased by 2.2 million m², with the largest increases recorded in Riga region (7.8 %) and Latgale region (4.2 %).

Lowest heating expenditure in dwellings built after 2000

Between 2020 and 2025, 3.0 % of dwellings were fully insulated, while 10.5 % had at least one energy efficiency improvement measure carried out, such as window replacement, external wall insulation or roof/loft insulation. No insulation measures were carried out in 76.3 % of dwellings. Dwellings built after 2000 made up 10.2 % of all dwellings and were already insulated during construction in accordance with the applicable building standards.

In dwellings insulated between 2020 and 2025, average expenditure on heat per m² of heated floor space stood at 7.03 euro/m², which is 38.2 % lower than in dwellings where no energy efficiency improvement measures had been carried out (11.37 euro/m²). The lowest average expenditure on heat supplied by an external supplier was recorded in dwellings built after 2000, at 5.62 euro/m², which is 50.6 % lower than in dwellings built before 2000 that had not been insulated.

One third of households obtain firewood from their own land or forest

In 2025, 76.8 % of households consuming wood fuels used firewood for heating, mainly in tile, masonry and similar stoves as well as cooking stoves. Since 2020, the share of households purchasing firewood has decreased slightly, while the share receiving it free of charge has increased: 57.2 % purchased it, around one third (32.4 %) obtained firewood from their own agricultural land or forest, 3.0 % received it free of charge as social assistance, and the remaining 7.4 % obtained it in several ways.

Wood briquettes and wood pellets were used for heating by 22.4 % of households using wood fuels, mainly in combined boilers. The share of dwellings using wood briquettes in tile, masonry and similar stoves fell to 6.6 %, representing a decrease of 0.3 percentage points compared with 6.9 % in 2020.

Dishwashers becoming more common in households

In 2025, almost every household in Latvia had a refrigerator (98.2 %) and a washing machine (91.9 %).  The share of households having a dishwasher increased by 7.7 percentage points (from 14.4 % in 2020 to 22.1 % in 2025), while that of households having a TV set fell by 6.3 percentage points (from 92.9 % to 86.6 %). The share of households with a tankless water heater also increased, by 2.6 percentage points (from 4.5 % to 7.1 %). Several other electrical appliances, such as electric kettles, clothes dryers, dishwashers, microwave ovens and air conditioners, have also become more common.

Diesel consumption in cars increases, while LPG use declines

Compared with 2020, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption in cars fell by 40.0 %, while diesel consumption increased by 7.3 % and petrol consumption remained almost unchanged. Compared with 2001, diesel consumption was six times as high and LPG use almost twice as high, while petrol consumption had halved.

More information on this subject is available in the official statistics portal section Energy consumption in households.

Methodological information

The Energy Consumption in Households survey is conducted every five years to measure household energy consumption and the related expenditure. In 2026, the survey covered 4 695 households: 24.0 % in Riga, 19.0 % in major cities, 18.0 % in other towns, and 39.0 % in rural areas.

Media requests:
Public Relations Section
Email: media@csp.gov.lv
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More information on the data:
Ģertrūde Vīksna
Environment Statistics Data Processing Section
Email: Gertrude.Viksna@csp.gov.lv
Phone: +371 67366697